ТЕМА: om the game atmosphere for this long, Cunning

Washington Capitals wing Alex Ovechkin and Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will lead Russia in the world ice hockey championship starting in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday. Just seven players, including captain Ovechkin, have survived from the squad that lost to Finland in the Sochi Olympic quarterfinals. One notable absentee was former New Jersey Devils wing Ilya Kovalchuk, now playing for SKA St. Petersburg, who was injured. Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Anton Khudobin was on track to play at his first worlds after a breakout NHL season saw him post a save percentage of .926, fifth best in the league. Only NHL players whose teams have been eliminated from the playoffs were eligible for the squad announced on Tuesday by the Russian Hockey Federation, but more players can be added later on. The worlds are the first major competition for new Russia coach Oleg Znarok. He has been tasked with reviving the team after it failed to win a medal at Sochi. Russia is to play Switzerland, Finland, the United States, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Germany and Belarus in the group stage. The squad includes 26 names, one more than the maximum allowed by the International Ice Hockey Federation for the championship. Of the 26, eight play in the NHL, with the remaining 16 all drawn from the Kontinental Hockey League. That included defenceman Anton Belov, who left the Edmonton Oilers for Russian team SKA. Among the other NHL players named were Washington Capitals defenceman Dmitry Orlov and wing Evgeny Kuznetsov, who at 21 was the youngest on the team.
Russia: Sergei Bobrovsky, Andrei Vasilevsky, Anton Khudobin, Anton Belov, Denis Denisov, Nikita Zaitsev, Andrei Zubarev, Alexander Kutuzov, Evgeny Medvedev, Dmitry Orlov, Maxim Chudinov, Egor Yakovlev, Artem Anisimov, Alexander Burmistrov, Evgeny Dadonov, Danis Zaripov, Ilya Zubov, Sergei Kalinin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nikolai Kulemin, Andrei Loktionov, Alex Ovechkin, Sergei Plotnikov, Viktor Tikhonov, Vadim Shipachev, Sergei Shirokov. Linus Ullmark Jersey . scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. Pierre Turgeon Jersey . The defeat leaves the 41-year-old Nestor to concentrate on the mixed-doubles event after winning 12 straight matches and winning Australian titles in Brisbane and Sydney with two different partners. "This was a little bit of a let down, but all credit to them," said Nestor. www.officialsabreshockeyauthentic.com/ryan-miller-jersey/. -- Golden State Warriors reserve centre Ognjen Kuzmic is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right hand. Derek Roy Sabres Jersey . Defenceman Tessa Bonhomme was among three players released from the team Tuesday morning along with defenceman Brigette Lacquette of Waterhen, Man. Dale Hawerchuk Jersey . Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.Dante Cunninghams basketball exile is over.The New Orleans Pelicans signed Cunningham to give them some much-needed depth at forward and said he would be available Thursday night on the road against Golden State.Its such a relief, Cunningham told The Associated Press in a phone interview. I just knew that with the time and the situation that was going on, I kind of had to wait it out and get the right opportunity.Cunningham was charged last April with felony domestic assault after his girlfriend at the time accused him of choking her and slamming her head against a wall. She also accused him of sending her threatening messages, but the charge was dropped in August after an investigation uncovered inconsistencies in her story.Cunningham was a free agent after his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves expired at the end of the season. But even after Hennepin County authorities dropped the charges, many teams were reluctant to consider signing him after the Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal rocked the NFL.Cunningham spent the previous two seasons with the Timberwolves, carving a niche as a valuable bench player who was reliable on both ends of the floor. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds last year and was paid $2.1 million in the final season of his contract. Cunningham said he had preliminary talks with a few teams, but didnt get any firm interest while the charge was being investigated.Cunningham urged authorities to pursue charges against Miryah Herron for making false allegations, but Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told The Associated Press in October he was reluctant to do so in part because of the message it could send to victims of domestic violence.To what extent all of this impacts his livelihood in the future, I hope it doesnt, Freeman said at the time. I hope he can go forward and play basketball.Cunninghams agent, Joel Bell, has worked to try to help his client clear his name. But its taken some time.The criticism that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league received for its initial two-game suspension of Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back who was caught on video punching his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator, gave pause to NBA front offices as they evaluated the 27-year-old Cunningham.Cunningham said his conversations with the Pelicans were centred on making sure that all the facts were consistent with what I had to say and what the police report had to say and whaat the police had to say.dddddddddddd At this point now were just moving on.New Orleans coach Monty Williams said he was confident Cunningham would be able to fit in with his new team.Hes pro, hes been around, Williams said Thursday night prior to the Pelicans game against the Warriors. He understands what I want from him because Ive coached him already. Hes watched our team so he knows what we need.The Pelicans were one of a number of teams to look at Cunningham and last week they scheduled a workout. As talks progressed, team officials reached out to the league to try to determine whether Cunningham would face any kind of discipline for even being accused of domestic violence.We have commenced an independent review of the matter and the charges that were subsequently dropped against Mr. Cunningham, but at this point we have no basis to conclude that he engaged in conduct that warrants discipline from the NBA, NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.With Anthony Davis emerging as one of the best players in the league, the Pelicans are pushing to get into the playoffs in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. Shooting guard Eric Gordons left shoulder injury has tested the teams depth and three straight losses have dropped them to 7-8 and 11th in the West.Gordon is out indefinitely with a torn labrum and the Pelicans initially responded by moving 6-foot-6 Tyreke Evans from small forward to shooting guard and starting 6-foot-8 Darius Miller at small forward. Miller was ineffective, and the Pelicans waived him and Patric Young on Sunday to start making room for Cunningham.Cunningham is a more natural power forward, but has the flexibility to play small forward, especially on the defensive end.I am definitely in shape, but I havent been away from the game atmosphere for this long, Cunningham said. I assume its just like riding a bike and once I hit that court its going to be back to normal.He was drafted by the Trail Blazers in 2009 when Williams was an assistant in Portland, and Cunningham welcomes the reunion during such a trying time.Coach Monty, he was the one that moulded me and sculpted me as a rookie with Portland, Cunningham said. He showed me how to be a professional and carry myself as a professional. To come back to him and not necessarily start over again, but have him back in my life again, I definitely need that.___AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report. Cheap NFL JerseysWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysJerseys From ChinaWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL JerseysCheap Jerseys ' ' '